For many centuries, freeform writing of images and text onto surfaces has been an invaluable medium for conveying ideas and thoughts to others. The writing surfaces have evolved from cave walls to blackboards in the last two centuries, and more recently, to whiteboards. The respective writing tools have evolved as well from stone chisels for cave writings, to chalk for blackboards, to dry erase pens for whiteboards, and so forth. With the advent of blackboards and whiteboards, the ease of selective erasure of images and text has greatly enhanced interactive communications and collaboration.
In the modern electronic age, whiteboards continue to play a significant role in interactive communications of ideas and thoughts because of its ease of usage and versatility in conveying ideas via freeform images and text on the whiteboard. As a testament to its utility and versatility, whiteboards and blackboards remain a fixture in virtually every classroom. Furthermore, whiteboard usage flourishes today in the modern electronic age despite the widespread availability of personal computers to convey the same ideas. The staying power of whiteboards is largely attributable to the simplicity and support for spontaneity in interactive communications and sharing of ideas with others.
In an effort to combine whiteboards with personal computers, electronic whiteboards were created for meetings or brainstorming sessions to record issues that are discussed at the meetings or sessions. Electronic whiteboards are also used in teleconferencing facilities so that issues raised in the teleconference can be recorded or can be better communicated through images drawn on the whiteboard.
FIG. 1 illustrates a prior art system for operating an electronic whiteboard. Generally, images are recorded on an electronic whiteboard 100 by an associated pen device 106 which is moved over the surface of the electronic whiteboard 100. The location of the pen device 106 is sensed by the electronic whiteboard 100 and the electronic whiteboard 100 responds by marking the parts of its surface over which the pen device 106 travels. In this way, markings (e.g., writings or drawings) made by a user of the pen device 106 on the surface of the electronic whiteboard 100 are recorded by the electronic whiteboard 100. Furthermore, computers 102 and 104 can view and generate markings on the electronic whiteboard 100 from remote locations via the Internet.
Although such prior art collaborative programs are extremely useful, existing collaborative facilities utilizing electronic whiteboards can require specialized communications hardware which impair widespread use and are essentially immobile, making it difficult for a mobile user to operate or view the electronic whiteboard. Thus, users without the necessary hardware are not able to participate in marking the electronic whiteboard.
Furthermore, electronic whiteboards are relatively expensive, complex, and cumbersome from a user's viewpoint for the kinds of interactive and spontaneous communications handled effectively by conventional whiteboards.
Therefore, there exists a need for new and improved methods for operating a virtual whiteboard, which can reduce expense and complexity, while improving convenience and ease of use.